The First Step in Fusing a Spirit Nexus

Three days later, news of Liu Yuanchen joining forces with Chen Changlin of the Chen Household to kill a Blood Bat Sect evil cultivator quickly spread far and wide.

Moreover, the rumors praised Chen Changlin as incomparably valiant.

Within Chen Changshan's cave abode on Songyun Peak of the Azure Elixir Sect, Chen Changshan and Chen Zongming looked at each other.

Chen Changshan asked, "Zongming, you've always been clever. Liu Yuanchen voluntarily shared the credit with our Chen Household. Could there be some scheme behind this?"

Chen Zongming shook his head. "Hard to say. Liu Yuanchen may have shared the credit because he wants to kill with a borrowed knife.

"But I've never heard of this Blood Bat Sect. I have no idea where they came from."

Chen Changshan pondered for a long while. "I've never heard of them either. They're probably just some minor evil cultivator faction from the Demon Cloud Sea.

"Otherwise, Blood Bat Sect disciples wouldn't have come to the Qingshui River region to do such drudge work."

Chen Zongming nodded slightly as well. "That's very likely. In that case, we needn't be overly nervous. We only need to have the family raise its guard against retaliation from the Blood Bat Sect."

In an underground secret chamber beneath Gray Goose Lake, more than five hundred li east of Qinghe Town, several cultivators clad in dark red robes gathered together.

One burly man slammed his hand against the table. "The Azure Elixir Sect is courting death! Killing one outer disciple of our Blood Bat Sect should have been a trivial matter.

"But they actually publicized it so widely. They clearly don't take us seriously.

"I'll personally kill Liu Yuanchen, then exterminate his entire clan!"

A small, thin cultivator beside him sneered. "Kill Liu Yuanchen, then exterminate his entire clan?

"I recall that over three thousand years ago, a Demonflame Sect under the Myriad Gods Sect did something similar to a disciple of the Eight Desolations Pavilion.

"Three days later, tens of thousands of Demonflame Sect disciples were wiped out.

"The disciples who took part in the killing even had their clans exterminated.

"The Divine Court and the Academy both helped the Eight Desolations Pavilion. Even some forces under the Myriad Gods Sect joined in against the Demonflame Sect.

"Not a single member of the Human Race spoke up for the Demonflame Sect."

"Our Blood Bat Sect can't compare to the Demonflame Sect of old.

"It took the Eight Desolations Pavilion three days to destroy the Demonflame Sect. To destroy our Blood Bat Sect, they probably wouldn't even need a day.

"If your entire clan is tired of living, withdraw from the Blood Bat Sect first, then make your move.

"Perhaps the Eight Desolations Pavilion will be reasonable enough to destroy only your clan without implicating us."

The burly man roared, "So we're just letting this go? A disciple of the Eight Desolations Pavilion killed one of our disciples and even publicized it everywhere. Do we not care about the Blood Bat Sect's honor anymore?"

An old man waved his hand. "No need to argue. An outer disciple of our Blood Bat Sect was killed by a disciple of the Eight Desolations Pavilion. He died a worthy death.

"Among the forces under the Myriad Gods Sect, whose heirs haven't been killed by Eight Desolations Pavilion disciples? There's no shame in saying so."

"The Azure Elixir Sect dared to publicize this matter so widely. They clearly don't take our Blood Bat Sect seriously.

"However, Zhao Hong is stationed at the Azure Elixir Sect. We must give Zhao Hong some face."

"As for the Chen Household, they're an insignificant force, yet they dared interfere in the affairs of our Blood Bat Sect.

"If we don't destroy the Chen Household, where will the Blood Bat Sect put its face?"

After hearing those words, everyone present was filled with admiration.

To phrase bullying the weak and fearing the strong in such a fresh and refined manner, no wonder he was an elder.

The burly man spoke again. "Elder, I'll personally lead men there and raze the Chen Household to the ground."

The old man waved his hand. "There's no need to make such a spectacle. We still have a certain tacit understanding with the forces under the Divine Court.

"Neither side's experts take the initiative to act. Only the juniors are allowed to fight.

"If you personally attack the Chen Household, then so long as the Divine Court still cares about its reputation, it will certainly send experts to deal with us.

"Then we would be directly opposing the Divine Court."

The small, thin cultivator rose to his feet. "In this subordinate's opinion, we should send some outer disciples, along with disciples of the Demoncloud Sect, to attack the Chen Household."

The old man nodded. "That is the safest method. Tell those outer disciples that anyone who kills a Ninth Qi-Nourishing Layer cultivator of the Chen Household can become a direct disciple of our Blood Bat Sect."

The small, thin cultivator bowed to accept the order. "Elder, rest assured. I will handle this matter properly."

The burly cultivator remained dissatisfied. "Elder, are we really going to let Liu Yuanchen run wild like this?"

The old man pondered for a moment. "Send a few direct disciples in the Qi-Nourishing Realm to teach him a lesson, but do not kill him."

"Why? He showed no mercy to our Blood Bat Sect disciple.

"According to the rules of the Eight Desolations Pavilion, if we send cultivators of the same realm to kill their disciples, they won't seek revenge."

The old man glanced at him. "If an Eight Desolations Pavilion disciple is killed in a fair battle, the higher-ups of the Eight Desolations Pavilion indeed won't seek revenge.

"But Zhao Hong's lineage is notorious for protecting its own.

"If you kill his disciple, and experts from his lineage come to cause trouble for us whenever they have nothing better to do, can we endure it?

"Teaching him a lesson and recovering a little face will be enough.

"If you still can't swallow your anger, go deal with the Chen Household as well."

Liu Yuanchen did not remain at the Azure Elixir Sect for long before heading to Bluestone Mountain again.

After setting a trap for the Chen Household, his thoughts felt completely unburdened.

As for credit, it did not matter whether he had a little more or a little less.

Next, it was time to prepare for the Spirit Realm's fusion with another Spirit Nexus.

Originally, he had not been in a hurry to fuse a Spirit Nexus. He had planned to wait until he cultivated a new Wood Spirit, then use it to suppress the Spirit Nexus.

It was not that a Wood Spirit was absolutely necessary to perform the Fusion Secret Art.

Rather, the Spirit Nexus was outside the Spirit Realm and normally had no one guarding it.

If only a single spirit plant suppressed the Spirit Nexus, then once it was discovered, all previous efforts would be wasted.

A Wood Spirit could actively fight. Even if it were discovered, it would have the strength to protect itself.

But circumstances had changed. Forces like the Blood Bat Sect from outside the Red Wasteland had already begun acting openly.

According to his master, the Divine Court also had arrangements in the Red Wasteland.

Once the Blood Bat Sect made a major issue of this matter, the Divine Court's forces would certainly intervene as well.

If the two sides clashed, it could very well lead to a battle between experts.

The Spirit Realm currently had only one Spirit Nexus. To remain stable, it could only rely on the Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein.

Once a battle between experts erupted, the Great Spirit Vein of Blackcloud Ridge could very well be damaged.

By then, his Spirit Realm might be destroyed in that battle.

Before the battle broke out, he had to make the Spirit Realm fuse with as many Spirit Nexuses as possible and advance into a Blessed Land.

At that time, the Blessed Land would possess its own Spirit Vein. Even if the Blackcloud Ridge Great Spirit Vein suffered severe damage, the Blessed Land could still be preserved.

At that thought, Liu Yuanchen could not help but sigh. "Circumstances are stronger than people. Turmoil in the Red Wasteland has already become inevitable.

"With insufficient strength, all I can do is drift with the tide."

He came to the limestone cave outside the Spirit Realm, preparing to search for the next Spirit Nexus.

No one knew how long the Spirit Realm's fusion with a Spirit Nexus would take.

If he searched for Spirit Nexuses exposed in the open, the chance of discovery would be far too high.

Liu Yuanchen brought out an Azure Silk Vine and wound it around a stone pillar.

Then, as he walked deeper into the limestone cave, he used spiritual power to make the Azure Silk Vine grow rapidly.

These Azure Silk Vines were not merely meant to prevent him from getting lost. They could also mark the paths he had already traveled, preventing him from searching the same places repeatedly and wasting time.

The Fusion Secret Art had certain requirements for Spirit Nexuses, mainly concerning their locations.

If a newly discovered Spirit Nexus was too far from the Spirit Realm, then to have the Spirit Realm absorb it, he would need to make the Spirit Realm grow especially large.

During the Spirit Realm's growth, the spiritual power and time consumed would both be terrifying.

As for how much spiritual energy flowed from the Spirit Nexus, that was not particularly important.

A Spirit Vein was like a water pipe, while a Spirit Nexus was a hole in that pipe.

When there was little water in the pipe, not much could leak from the hole.

But the Spirit Realm was like a water pump. So long as it drew water from the hole and the pipe was not empty, it could pump out plenty of water.

The only Spirit Nexus in the Spirit Realm now had originally been nothing more than a lower-grade second-tier Spirit Spring.

Yet the spiritual energy it now gushed out was completely at the level of a top-grade fourth-tier Spirit Spring.

Even a partially ruined Spirit Nexus like the one at Yujin Mountain could be used to perform the Fusion Secret Art.

It was just that Yujin Mountain was more than a hundred li from Bluestone Mountain. Fusing the two Spirit Nexuses would take an extremely long time.

Furthermore, Yujin Mountain's Spirit Nexus was at the bottom of a well. Its concealment was far too poor, making it easy to expose.

The underground limestone cave was exceptionally complicated. Often, after walking only several zhang, one would encounter two or three branching paths.

Without the Azure Silk Vines marking the areas he had explored, he might spend a lifetime walking in circles.

After several days of work, Liu Yuanchen finally found another Spirit Nexus in the limestone cave.

Like the Spirit Nexus in the Spirit Realm, this one was also a spring, but its flow was even smaller.

Moreover, the spiritual energy it leaked was scarce, only at the level of a top-grade first-tier Spirit Spring.

He sensed the distance to the Spirit Realm. The straight-line distance between the two locations was only around twenty li.

But to find this Spirit Nexus, he had spent a full five days crawling through the limestone cave.

The Azure Silk Vines used to mark his route twisted and turned through every branch of the cave.

Added together, they were probably several hundred li long.

The spiritual power spent making the Azure Silk Vines grow had also been considerable.

If the Spirit Realm had not constantly replenished his spiritual power, he would have been unable to endure it long ago.

He took several grains of Golden-Thread Rice from his storage bag. After nurturing them with the Yi Wood Origin-Nourishing Art, he planted them beside the Spirit Spring.

With the Golden-Thread Rice Plants serving as markers, it would be much easier to find this place again next time.

Afterward, he returned to the Spirit Realm and looked at the five Toxic Thorn Vines.

After several months, they had all grown to five or six chi long.

Liu Yuanchen released his Divine Sense to examine the vitality of these Toxic Thorn Vines.

The emerald light within all five Toxic Thorn Vines was exceptionally brilliant.

In the smallest Toxic Thorn Vine, its life force had begun to show signs of converging.

Yet compared with Xiao Yu before it was enlightened, there was still an enormous difference.

Back then, Xiao Yu's life force had already gathered into a single mass.

Even without the Enlightenment Secret Art, it could have slowly nurtured a Wood Spirit.

However, ginseng-type spirit plants possessed an innate advantage in nurturing Wood Spirits that other spirit plants could not match.

The Toxic Thorn Vine's life force was merely greater within than without. It had not yet reached the point of gathering into a single mass.

Without intervention, it would still be difficult for it to nurture a Wood Spirit even after several hundred years.

To turn it into a Wood Spirit in a short time, he would have to use the Enlightenment Secret Art.

Naturally, Liu Yuanchen would not use that method.

Enlightening the top-grade first-tier Xiao Yu before had already caused the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling to languish for a long time.

Enlightening a lower-grade second-tier Toxic Thorn Vine would only consume more special energy and place an even greater burden on the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling.

Still, even if it did not become a Wood Spirit, it could be used to suppress a Spirit Nexus.

The newly discovered Spirit Nexus was inside an underground limestone cave. The chance of wandering cultivators finding their way in was extremely small, so there was no need to specially cultivate a Wood Spirit to guard against them.

These nurtured spirit plants all contained special energy from the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling.

Though there was not much of it, it was enough to say that they were connected to the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling.

Thus, he had the foundation needed to perform the Fusion Secret Art.

Liu Yuanchen forced out a drop of blood essence and dripped it onto the smallest Toxic Thorn Vine.

Then, he continuously poured spiritual power and Divine Sense into that drop of blood essence.

Guided by his Divine Sense, the drop of blood essence began to transform into an incomparably complex Inscription Rune.

After nearly a shi chen of effort, the Inscription Rune was finally formed.

Under Liu Yuanchen's guidance, the Inscription Rune slowly seeped into the Toxic Thorn Vine.

When Liu Yuanchen sensed that Toxic Thorn Vine again, he found a blood-red Inscription Rune in the place where its life force was most concentrated.

The Inscription Rune was like the sun, with all the emerald points of light revolving around it.

Seeing this, Liu Yuanchen collapsed onto the ground. "It's finally done. This secret art truly isn't something a Qi-Nourishing Realm cultivator can handle."

Afterward, he took out several medicinal pills and swallowed them.

Only after refining the pills did his condition recover somewhat.

After recuperating in the Spirit Realm for three days, he repeated the process.

Only this time, his target was the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling.

To integrate a Spirit Nexus into the Spirit Realm required two anchor points.

One was the core spirit object suppressing the Spirit Realm, while the other was the spirit object suppressing the target Spirit Nexus.

The Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling was the core spirit object suppressing the Spirit Realm, so it naturally had to take part.

After expending tremendous effort, he condensed another blood-red Inscription Rune.

The Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling did not resist at all, allowing the blood-red Inscription Rune to merge into it.

In Liu Yuanchen's Divine Sense, the blood-red Inscription Rune arrived at the roots of the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

Under the light of the blood-red Inscription Rune, he could see the emerald glow within the sapling.

However, the lights representing life force within the sapling had condensed into the forms of tiny infants.

These "infants" were extremely small, only about the size of mung beans.

Near the roots alone, dozens of mung-bean-sized "infants" were crowded together.

Liu Yuanchen was overjoyed. In the past, he had never succeeded in sensing the life force of the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling with his Divine Sense.

This time, after using the secret art, it had actually produced some effect.

With both Inscription Runes condensed, Liu Yuanchen dug up the chosen Toxic Thorn Vine, roots and all.

Then he left the Spirit Realm and came beside the newly discovered Spirit Nexus.

He planted the Toxic Thorn Vine beside the Spirit Spring.

The Toxic Thorn Vine had just been planted and still looked somewhat wilted.

Liu Yuanchen cast the Jia Wood Withering-and-Flourishing Art, sending a surge of spiritual power into the Toxic Thorn Vine.

The entire Toxic Thorn Vine instantly perked up.

At the same time, roots rapidly grew from the Toxic Thorn Vine and plunged deep into the spring water.

Before long, Liu Yuanchen sensed unusual activity from the Spirit Realm.

The blood-red Inscription Runes within the Toxic Thorn Vine were also rapidly absorbing spiritual energy, shining with dazzling brilliance.

These Inscription Runes formed a pair with those inside the Ginseng Fruit Tree Sapling, and the two had always been connected.

Under the effect of the Inscription Runes, the connection between the two spirit plants would transform into a pulling force.

As the Spirit Realm grew, it would continuously draw closer to this side under that pulling force.

Now that there was movement from the Spirit Realm, the pulling force had clearly already formed.

The first step of the Spirit Realm merging with the Spirit Nexus was thus complete.